Big Questions is just
what a novel should be, if by novel we mean a very long story that creates an
entire imaginary universe that involves us so deeply that we begin to think of
ourselves as characters within it. The book is 585 pages long (not including
appendixes), a number that might seem overwhelming in a traditional format. In
this case, you'll finish in two days, not only because graphic novels contain a
lot less text but also because you'll race through the first time, desperate to
figure out the big stuff, only to turn around and reread it in order to figure
out all the little stuff you missed.
The story takes place in an anonymous bucolic countryside
(trees, fields, the occasional house) and follows a flock of birds, each with
its own personality and philosophical struggles, from questioning the monotony
of a seed diet to wondering about the true perils of snakes to considering "to
what extent are we responsible for the fulfillment of our destinies?" Life
goes on in this manner⎯think, peck,
think, peck⎯until an undetonated bomb
drops into their lives, a bomb that many (but not all) in the flock believe is a
long, warm metal egg that may contain a savior baby bird. The hilarity and
discord that result will astonish you, as will the pathos. Some of the most
poignant scenes concern two humans⎯an elderly
caretaker and her mentally disabled grandson or son⎯who are watched by the birds. Nilsen's artwork here needs no
words. The endless labor of the old woman⎯firewood,
dishes, scrub the floor, soak the dentures, weep in secret⎯is drawn into brutal reality, as is her
unexpected beauty. The six-panel homage to her brushing the long, young-looking
hair you never knew she had (it's usually tied in a bun) is, like the rest of
the book, an unforgettable visual and emotional experience.
